What Farmnote does

Farmnote Inc. is a Japanese agricultural IoT company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Obihiro, Hokkaido — the center of Japan's dairy industry — with a secondary office in Tokyo. The company specializes in digital transformation for dairy and livestock farming, building an integrated platform that combines AI-powered wearable cattle sensors (Farmnote Color), a cloud herd management system (Farmnote Cloud), cattle genomic testing (Farmnote Gene), veterinarian-led consulting (Farmnote Compass), and a Wagyu frozen embryo brokerage service. Farmnote operates under a group structure that includes Farmnote Holdings Inc. (holding company), Farmnote Dairy Platform Inc. (which runs a wholly-owned demonstration dairy farm in Nakashibetsu), and SKYARC Co., Ltd. (technology development), totaling approximately 60 members across the group.

The underlying technology architecture pairs LTE-connected neck-mounted IoT sensors with a cloud platform that processes activity, rumination, and behavioral time-series data per animal using AI trained on approximately 380,000 head of cattle and 1,900 farms of accumulated data. The platform integrates natively with DeLaval automatic milking rotaries and LELY robotic milking systems, enabling unified data ingestion across major global milking equipment. Farmnote has been recognized with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Venture Award, the Prime Minister's Monozukuri Japan Award, and a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications commendation for ICT-based regional agricultural development.

Farmnote's revenue model combines per-head SaaS subscriptions for Farmnote Cloud (JPY 4,000–39,000/month tiered by herd size), quote-based hardware-inclusive Farmnote Color subscriptions, one-time Farmnote Gene genomic testing fees (JPY 11,800/head) plus annual web service fees, individually quoted Compass consulting engagements, and unit-priced embryo sales (JPY 37,000–40,700 per embryo). Go-to-market is primarily domestic sales-led with a self-serve PLG layer (free 30-day Cloud trial, free Color App), targeting dairy farmers as the primary segment alongside beef cattle breeders, beef cattle fattening operations, dairy-beef composite farms, and local government / agricultural cooperative programs. Capital has been raised from strategic shareholders including INCJ, ZEN-NOH, Norinchukin Bank, Sumitomo Corporation, HOKUREN Federation, Kanematsu, Gree, and Future Investment, with an additional ~US$7.23M round in 2023 from Energy & Environment Investment, Future Food Fund, Kyushin Social Capital, and REVIC.

Name

Farmnote

Legal name

株式会社 ファームノート

Website

https://farmnote.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Farmnote is a Japanese agricultural IoT company that provides dairy and livestock farmers with an integrated platform combining AI-powered wearable cattle sensors, cloud herd management software, genomic testing, and veterinary consulting, supported by integrations with major milking robot brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Livestock Management Software

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (112120), Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (11212)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Livestock Precision Monitoring Software (Herd/Flock Analytics, Health Alerts) (AFAAAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Monitoring & Wearables (Activity, Rumination, Health Sensors) (AFAAAIAG), Dairy Farm Data, Monitoring & Precision Dairy Operations (AFAEACAO), Genetic Testing & Genomic Profiling Services (Parentage, Trait Testing) (AFACAEAE), Farm Technology Enablement & Data Integration Advisory (FMIS/ERP, IoT, Decision Support) (AFACAJAG)

Keywords

• Livestock monitoring IoT
• Cattle herd management
• Dairy farm software
• Agricultural IoT platform
• Livestock genomic testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Obihiro

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Farmnote Cloud Subscriptions: Monthly or annual subscription fees for cloud herd management software, priced per head count tiers (1-49 heads, 50-99 heads, 100-149 heads, etc.). Individual Management Plan from JPY 4,000/month (1-49 heads) to JPY 8,000/month (50-99 heads). Herd Management Plan from JPY 6,500/month (1-49 heads) scaling up to JPY 39,000/month (250-299 heads).
2. Farmnote Color Subscriptions: Monthly subscription model (最短1年) with subscription model pricing including device usage. Includes warranty and is available from 3-month trial plan. Sold via inquiry form, not publicly priced.
3. Farmnote Gene Testing Fees: One-time genomic testing fee of JPY 11,800/head (tax-inclusive JPY 12,980) plus annual web service fee of JPY 150,000/year (first year free, subsequent years waived under certain conditions).
4. Farmnote Gene Support Services: Standard support plan is free; Premium Success plan is individually quoted. Additional optional services for TSU applicator, TSU liquid, and sample collection assistance available.
5. Genetics Service - Embryo Sales: Sales of Japanese beef frozen embryos (e.g., Fukukatsutsuru at JPY 37,000-40,700 per embryo). Minimum order of 5 units. Nationwide delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Farmnote develops and sells an integrated agricultural IoT platform for dairy and livestock farmers, centered on the Farmnote Color AI-powered wearable cattle sensor and the Farmnote Cloud herd management system. The offering is extended with Farmnote Gene genomic testing, Farmnote Compass veterinary consulting, and a Japanese beef frozen embryo distribution service.

Product overview

Farmnote is an agricultural IoT platform built around a core sensor-device-plus-cloud architecture. The product portfolio centers on two foundational products — Farmnote Color (AI-powered wearable IoT sensor for cattle monitoring) and Farmnote Cloud (cloud-based herd management system) — which work together as an integrated platform. Add-on services layer on top: Farmnote Gene (genome testing with breeding recommendations), Farmnote Compass (veterinary second-opinion consulting), ジェネティクスサービス (frozen Wagyu embryo brokerage), and the Farmnote Color アプリ (standalone mobile app). The ecosystem also includes the Farmnote Air Gateway hardware hub and a proprietary dairy demonstration farm (中標津牧場 / Farmnote Dairy Platform). All products are available individually or together, with data flowing between Farmnote Cloud, Farmnote Color, and Farmnote Gene for unified farm intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Farmnote Color: IoT wearable sensor device for cattle that monitors heat detection, activity levels, rumination, calving signs, and standing difficulty detection using AI.
• Farmnote Cloud
• Farmnote Compass
• Farmnote Gene
• Generics Service (ジェネティクスサービス)

Products and services

• Farmnote Color AI-powered wearable IoT sensor device worn on cattle's neck that monitors activity, rumination, and behavioral patterns in real time. Detects heat/estrus, reduced activity, rumination changes, calving signs, and standing difficulty for dairy and beef cattle. For dairy and livestock farmers in Japan.
• Farmnote Cloud Cloud-based cattle herd management system accessible via web browser and mobile app. Provides individual cattle registration, breeding records, health/treatment logs, calendar/scheduling, customizable cattle lists, report generation, and data sharing with veterinarians and AI technicians.
• Farmnote Compass Online second-opinion consulting service where Farmnote veterinarians and professional staff analyze herd test data and provide objective recommendations for farm improvement, delivered via online dialogue.
• Farmnote Gene Cattle genome/progeny testing service that analyzes genetic samples to produce performance rankings and breeding recommendations, integrating with Farmnote Cloud data to recommend optimal insemination matches and successor-culling decisions.
• Genetics Service (ジェネティクスサービス) Japanese beef frozen embryo brokerage and distribution service connecting cattle producers nationwide, providing digital recommendations on embryo selection leveraging Farmnote's herd data and managing nationwide logistics of frozen embryo delivery.
• Farmnote Air Gateway LTE-enabled data relay device installed in barns that collects sensor data from up to 100 Farmnote Color units and transmits it to the Farmnote Cloud platform. Covers up to 30m radius and supports AC100V power input.
• Farmnote Color App Simplified smartphone application for Farmnote Color users, providing breeding management functions (activity logging, heat/estrus detection alerts, health notifications, rumination graphs) on iOS and Android.

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DeLaval (瑞典デラバル社)strategicTechnology or IntegrationFarmnote is integrated with DeLaval's AMR (Automatic Milking Rotary) system at Hope Farm. Farmnote Color works alongside DeLaval milking robots for comprehensive herd management. DeLaval AMR is Asia's first installation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Lely: Netherlands-based incumbent offering T4C herd management software and Astronaut milking robots. Has a documented integration with Farmnote Cloud and competes in monitoring + management on a global dairy-equipment scale.
• GEA Farm Technologies: German dairy equipment manufacturer with herd management software (DairyNet, DairyPlan) and milking systems. Competes with Farmnote in the integrated dairy technology stack but focuses on equipment-led sales.
• BouMatic: Global dairy equipment and milking systems provider with herd management software (BouMatic ProVison). Comparable to Farmnote in serving modern commercial dairies but a much larger incumbent with broader equipment scope.
• DeLaval: Sweden-based incumbent offering DelPro herd management software alongside milking robotics and farm equipment. Overlaps Farmnote Cloud and integrates with Farmnote Color, but operates across a much broader dairy equipment portfolio.

Direct peers

• Connecterra: Dutch AI dairy cow monitoring company whose IDA platform uses wearable sensors and machine learning to surface health, reproduction, and production insights — a focused direct peer to Farmnote Color's analytics layer.
• Smaxtec: Austrian company providing intraruminal bolus sensors that continuously monitor core body temperature and activity in dairy cattle, with cloud analytics for heat, health, and rumination detection — directly comparable to Farmnote Color's wearable + cloud offering.
• Nedap: Dutch company whose CowControl platform combines ear-tag sensors, individual cow monitoring, and herd-management software — directly comparable to Farmnote's integrated Color + Cloud stack.
• AfiMilk (Afimilk): Israeli dairy herd management and cow monitoring vendor with AfiFarm software and pedometer/activity sensors. Directly competes with Farmnote across cloud herd management and AI-powered health alerts.
• MSD Animal Health (SCR Dairy / Allflex Livestock Intelligence): Heatime and Silent Herdsman systems provide collar-based activity and rumination monitoring with cloud analytics — a direct cattle-monitoring peer to Farmnote Color, now part of MSD Animal Health within Merck.

Emerging players

• Cainthus (Ever.Ag): Computer vision-based cattle monitoring platform (acquired by Ever.Ag) that uses cameras and AI to track behavior, body condition, and feed intake — overlaps Farmnote's AI analytics thesis through a different sensor modality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/farmnote
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4SVe4NijUSr1uX2reG2kDQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/farmnote

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farmnote